“You have to sacrifice if you are truly committed to trying to win a championship,” he said. “They’re going to win a lot of games, but unless they sacrifice — because we know they’re going to be better than probably what their numbers show — if they can sacrifice they’ll win a championship this year. Because the talent is definitely there.”

However, Pierce doesn’t think the point guard’s uncertain contract status will affect Irving or the locker room.

“Kyrie is a competitor,” he said. “He’s won a championship. He knows — if they win again he’ll get whatever contract he wants. He’s an extraordinary talent and he knows that winning trumps everything. If you win, everybody wins.”